When Taylorsville residents drive down 2700 West, Mayor Russ Wall hopes they notice something a little different. "We hope to see more cyclists riding through our city," he said.

Taylorsville officials striped their first set of commuter bike lanes on 2700 West between the north and south border of the city. A ribbon cutting and bike ride led by Wall and Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker celebrated the move which they hope will encourage various modes of transportation throughout Salt Lake County.

The bike lanes were encouraged by several resident cyclists, two of the city’s citizen committees — the Healthy Taylorsville and Leisure Activities Recreation and Parks committees, and Councilmember Dama Barbour.

“My constituents approached me about the need for bike lanes,” said Barbour. “I saw a need, as they did, to promote a healthy city.”

Dan Fazzini Jr., an avid cyclist and Taylorsville resident, was one of those who encouraged the city. “2700 West is a good connector from I-80 all the way to Daybreak. We’d love to see our surrounding cities finish the bike lane both north and south of Taylorsville,” said Fazzini.

Wall is excited about the changes. “It’s been in our plans for a long time. Thanks to a push from Councilmember Barbour and others, we are trying to be a more bike-friendly city.”

City volunteers staffed a bike valet during Taylorsville Dayzz festivities to encourage more biking to the event on Friday and Saturday evening. Wall was one of dozens of residents who rode their bike to the events.

Aimee Newton is the author of the blog taylorsvilletidbits.com. She lives in Taylorsville with her husband and four children.